The Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party will pursue legal action against Al-Dostour Newspaper, charging the daily with slander, libel and defamation for an article alleging the FJP was planning to assassinate nearly 200 public officials.
The article published Thursday (21 June) alleged that the FJP planned to plant members of its party in areas like Tahrir Square and Mostafa Mahmoud Square to deliberately incite youth to violence in order to draw the ire- and perhaps strong arm response of authorities.
It is a tactic, the newspaper claimed, that would sow instability and street-level action should the FJP candidate, Mohamed Morsi, not be declared president.
The article claimed to have become privy to “the minute details of an emergency meeting between the leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party.” It also stated the Brotherhood’s party had made plans to “order Bedouin groups to attack checkpoints in Sinai to facilitate the entry of Hamas members and Iranian revolutionary guards to help them stage a coup against the armed forces and the president.” The article also suggested that among the plans was a plot to assassinate more than 200 public figures simultaneously in order to sow fear and panic.
Deputy Head of the FJP Essam El-Erian said the report was “all lies,” and it was intended to tarnish the image of the party and its candidate. He added that the newspaper had “adopted the same policies used by the former regime and its security apparatus.”
